11/11/2011
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| From the left: Bashiri, Andrea, Pastor Laura, Al |
Friday, we ventured to the Ngorongoro
Crater with Bashiri as our trusted guide. The Crater is a vast plain surrounded by
mountains created when a volcano imploded long before recorded history. The Crater is a conservation area where the Maasai people and African wildlife seemingly live in
harmony. Although as Bashiri reflected “if the Maasai kill a lion, he will go to jail, if the lion kill a Maasai,
no problem.”
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| A cheeta sunning next to the path. |
Once in the Crater, we stared at an African water buffalo
while he stared back at us; as Bashiri observed, the
buffalo was fully confident; apparently the buffalo can be shot, play dead for
48 hours and then still rise up to kill you.
Yikes! Bashiri
proudly told us that the African animals cannot be tamed, we could see why.
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| Male lion waking from a nap |
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| Laura, Mark and Bashiri after a picnic lunch |
Moving along, we came upon two lions sleeping peacefully
under the trees; their long, lean bodies sprawled out, they looked as though
they didn’t have a care in the Crater. Bashiri posited that they probably had enjoyed a good meal
of protein and now they were lazy. He
also told us that although the males were powerful, the females were the better
hunters. Hmmm.
A beautiful day, I am reminded of the Lord speaking to Job,
“Were you there when I laid the foundation of the earth.”
Peace, Pastor Laura
